Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Finally - A British Holiday Tea - 2012


For 9 out of the past 11 years I have served a Holiday Tea
with a theme for Lily's family.
Saturday was the day set aside for this special event.
A new Christmas teapot, a gift from a friend, sat ready to be poured.
The theme was Finally - A British Tea.
All the teacups were made in the United Kingdom.
The teapot is Lenox, Holiday Gatherings, and also made in the UK.

The table was waiting.

The crown was the center piece.
Poppers, an English tradition started during the Victorian era, were sitting in wait.
There were crowns to wear and laughter too.
 

The menu was gathered from friends that had enjoyed tea in England,
mostly at hotels there.
We started with English Breakfast tea.
The Stacked Sandwich was inspired by tea at The Savoy Hotel in London.
It combined cucumber, egg salad, and stilton cheese with salami.

The Roast Beef sandwich is served at Fortnum & Mason in London.
It has horseradish and capers for additional flavor.

Then there was a Coronation Chicken Sandwich, served at Fortnum & Mason
in London, but quite popular in many tearooms in the United Kingdon.
The stars are Salmon Cream Cheese with a small tomato for the center.
Salmon Cream Cheese is often served at the Dalton Hotel in Yorkshire.

Then spoonfuls of Shrimp Salad represented tea at The Berkley Hotel.

British Scones with Strawberry Jam were served next, as
we changed to drinking PG Tips tea.
This recipe came from a small motel in Oregon where the proprietor
came from England and said her recipe was the "true" scone recipe of England.

A Fruit and Nut Cake was service with Wensleydale cheese.
A British cheese with cranberries tucked in.
The Yorkshire saying given to me by my friend Denise says:
Cake without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.

The crown.

There also were Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
served at The Berkley Hotel.  They came in shapes of crowns
and high heeled shoes. No picture available here.
Finally we topped off the tea with a Striped Parfait of raspberry,
orange, and lime, representing tea at The Berkley Hotel.

It was a special time of laughter, visiting, sipping tea,
and enjoying the holiday spirit.

17 comments:

Marion Williams-Bennett said...

the PERFECT tea!

I all of your "sources" for inspiration - you've made some glorious creations!

I love that this is your holiday tradition, and that you share it here, which makes it our tradition as well!

Best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful Christmas!

GardenOfDaisies said...

This all looks so lovel, and sweets and sandwiches look delicious as well.

La Tea Dah said...

A delight, through and through! Perfection down to the last detail! Lovely decor. Beautiful banner. Delicious food! Another great tea by Marilyn!

Brenda @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

Oooooooo... what a delightful time this must have been. And those goodies look so inviting.

Glad you shared pics for us to catch a glimpse of your beautiful day.

Adrienne said...

What a beautiful tea! Lilly is a fortunate young lady to grow up with such a loving lady who teaches her the finer things in life! I LOVE your new teapot - now I'm going to 'be on the hunt' or some Christmas teacups, which are sadly lacking in my collection!
~Adrienne~

Angela McRae said...

What a marvelous spread! Loved everything from the menu to the bunting to the crown and the soft candlelight -- just lovely. And now you've got me wanting to try a stacked tea sandwich!

Karen's Place said...

Everything looks tea-vine!!! Love PG tips tea, hearty enough for all your lovely savories. Oh Marilyn thanks for sharing every detail.

Anonymous said...

What fun to see it all over again! I'm so happy this tradition has continued in our family. I'm hoping Lily never 'outgrows' it!

Shane Pollard said...

Oh Marilyn

A Christmas banquet more like!!!!

I've fallen in LOVE with your new Spode Christmas tea pot - I will try and hunt one down! Can you give me the design name please!!!!

Such delectable morsels - each bite delicious - I would not be able to resist any of it!!!

Joyeux Noël
Shane ♥


Steph said...

Lovely and thoughtful!

Ginger said...

Yum! Looks like a great tea.

French Kissed said...

Hi Marilyn,

What a wonderful tea party...wish I could have been there...love the theme and decor and the crown is the perfect centerpiece. I also like your electric tea warmer. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Jermaine

Joy said...

You did a lot of research and a lot of work - and it shows! Just lovely! And the crown is the perfect finishing touch. I'm sure everyone enjoyed it greatly.

Jeanie said...

Oh, Marilyn, what a delight! I can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon! And all English cups! Perfect touch!

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

WOW...I am so impressed...lovely, lovely, lovely...I wish I could have enjoyed it with you! You are an amazing chef and tea connoisseur. Thanks for sharing...the stacked sandwich sounded SO yummy by the way!!

Bernideen said...

Everything looks so lovely and the food looks wonderful!!! Please come post on my Friends Sharing Tea....

Annie Jeffries said...

It's 12:40 a.m. as I look at this post. I am now officially very VERY hungry.